Gothic Architecture Vs. Egyptian Architecture Essays -

Gothic Architecture Vs. Egyptian Architecture Gothic Architecture Vs. Egyptian Architecture The sediment richens the soil year after year by the Nile that floods the valley and rises twenty to thirty feet high. African villagers expect the seasonal rains; the precipitation determines the crops productivity. The valley cut by this dominating river is also where one of the greatest Neolithic civilizations grew. The originals were of mixed races but all derived from the white races. By 4000 B.C. these egger people started using copper and gold, developing a standard way of living. They made tools to their own needs and began building and started to include architectural art full of decorous curves and lines. The early Egyptians made their homes out of river reeds and river mud. They produced round homes or rectangular homes with arched rooftops. Primarily the huts were used to keep from the harsh, warm temperatures. During this time period of reed homes adobe bricks were being made which led to a crucial innovation to Egyptian homes and architecture. The art and skill that was carved, painted and designed into religious temples and tombs gave later researchers of great talent information on Egyptian life. With architectural strides religious gods and carvings were beginning a decorative architectural era. Imhotep was an architect that designed the great pyramid and temple of King Zoser in the third dynasty. He was precise and eloquent with the use of stone that was not surpassed for centuries. The Egyptians honored many of their architects, who also became court officials, but Imhotep was credited for being the first great user of stone towards monumental buildings. The old kingdom was b uilt of river reeds and mud but later other kingdoms learned from the old designs. Later the middle kingdom saw a new light in utilizing stone form and development of others. Though it wasn't until the new empire where great temples and large courts. The new empire fell and the idea of a strong, continuous rise in Egyptian architecture had almost ceased. The Nile River determined the building materials of the Egyptians. As time progressed and architecture was beginning to have history, technical skills were developing as well as architectural skills. One major discovery was slanted roofs were unnecessary to the hot, humid weather. Falt roofs became the new invention and were multipurpose for more living space, which became an essential part of the home design. Egyptians also tried to figure out a way walls could be sturdy and strong but less heavy and less cracks. But the cracking would never fail so when the bricks were laid on concave beds, so when cracks did occur, the wall was easily fixed. Another form of the brick was used called the vault. Vaults were most often used in tombs and cover storage rooms but never did this principle become a way of source. Stone was later introduced, which came late in Egyptian architecture. There was more than enough stone, from the Nile cutting its way down the desert plateau. There was a surplus of stone to be used. They became expert quarrying diggers, cutting some of the best pieces of rock. Egyptians also developed different techniques of handling stones. With all this stone, labor power and organization was needed. The king steeped forward for that position and gave orders to the laborers, whom all were working on one building at a time. The workers were treated fairly good with adequate pay. This is how the pyramids were built and stone architecture was the new generation of adobe brick and river reed huts. Gothic architecture is an example of how the intricate structural and decorative elements in buildings are tied together. Like the Egyptians Gothic architecture uses the vault idea but is better understood. Early experiments failed and were left to explore other options but gothic architecture explains the answers. The question of different width varied different heights; so gothic architecture uses the pointed arch, and varying the steepness to gain the correct connections. Gothic architecture was more of a solution of building problems. It also was an expression of modern Europe. The economy way stable, trade and business was steady and cities were expanding and flourishing. The Gothic era was an introduction to new

Analysis of Moral Dilemma essays

Analysis of Moral Dilemma essays Philosophers have studied moral concepts of right and wrong for millennia. During this time, great thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, Bentham, and Kant have developed a number of carefully reasoned and eloquent approaches to moral questions. These approaches in the field of ethics can span from metaethics (the core of ethical principles or universal truths) to the field of normative ethics (which takes a much more practical approach to solving specific problems) to the field of applied ethics (which looks at specific issues like abortion or animal rights) (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Each of these fields of ethics has sparked some often surprisingly elegant approaches to difficult ethical problems. However, in the real word, moral decisions are often much more difficult and confusing than they appear during reasoned ethical analysis. Moral dilemmas like the following illustrate the profound difficulty in coming to an ethical decision under truly trying and confusing circumstances. Imagine that you are an inmate in a concentration camp, and your son is about to be hung by a sadistic prison guard for attempting to escape. The guard wants you to pull out the chair from underneath your son, effectively killing him. The guard says that if you refuse to pull out the chair, he will kill your son and another, innocent, inmate as well. There is no doubt that the guard will carry out his actions. If you decide to pull out the chair from under your son, there are a number of potential consequences, both good and bad. Importantly, if the guard is true to his word, you will have saved the life of another innocent inmate. This is clearly a positive moral action, as preserving human life, especially innocent human life is essentially universally morally desirable. In saving this man's life, you spare both his personal agony, but spare his family and friends f...

Comparison between the Greek Crisis of 2010 with the Argentinean Dissertation

Comparison between the Greek Crisis of 2010 with the Argentinean crisis of 2001 - Dissertation Example .†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦17 Chapter 4 Conclusions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..23 Chapter 5 Reflective Report†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..25 Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...28 ABSTRACT This paper attempts to study the Greek Financial Crisis of 2009 and the Argentinean Crisis of 2001 in a comparative framework. The idea is to deduce a policy remedy for Greece to recov er from the recession. The primary issues addressed in this paper comprise the state of the economies of the two countries at the time of recession, the sovereign bond default and its causes. The research tries to compare the policy situations of the two countries to evaluate the effectiveness of the Argentinean policy measures to fight the Greek Crisis. In this situation the paper concludes that though there are similarities in the two situations and issues of concern, but they are not identical. The magnitude of the Greek crisis is much more and consequences much graver due to the ongoing crisis in the global financial markets. Hence the Greek government needs to tread a more unconventional path than Argentina. The government has to depend on the foreign assistance to resurrect itself in the absence of a healthy global financial market. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS IMF International Monetary Fund EU European Union ECB European Central Bank ACB Argentinean Currency Board EC European Commi ssion UNECE United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 1.... In this paper we studied the emergence of the Greek Crisis in Europe at the backdrop of the global crisis. We delved into the causes of the crisis and compared it with similar experience of recession in the past in other parts of the world. In this context we took a particular interest in the Argentinean Crisis of 2001 because of the conventional policies adopted by the country in fighting their crisis and the success they achieved in reaching their goals. Our primary interest in this paper was if the same model to tackle a recession could be applied for the case of Greek recession. In this scenario we tried to evaluate the situation of the two economies and considered all the channels Greece can assume. We also considered the consequences of the crisis and its impact on the partner economies as well as the global financial situation. That helped us to judge the severity of the crisis and hence the interests of the national and international agencies to help Greece. Our method of ana lysis has been mostly a comparative study of the Greek crisis with the Argentinean crisis and an advantage and disadvantages of the solutions Greek can adopt. In comparison to the Argentinean crisis we noted that both the countries share some similarity in leaning on credit for loan servicing as well as personal consumption. There was also a degenerated trade system owing to overvaluation of currency and wage price rigidity in both the countries.

Employee Relations Assignments One Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Employee Relations Assignments One - Case Study Example I identified UK Leasline as the most appropriate organization that could help the small business to accomplish its goal. The company offers capital to businesses in the UK at affordable terms, and I needed to purchase the office equipment at hire purchase to pay through installments as the business expanded. However, it was difficult to acquire the credit facilities since my business was a start up and therefore there was no collateral. I had to negotiate with the credit appraisal team for to prove that my business had the potential of growing to a substantial size to repay the borrowed capital. I knew that after launching the business, there were high chances for it to grow gain the capacity to negotiate better for loans. However, to get to that point, I had to use negotiation techniques so that I could not loose the opportunity. Since I had no tangible property but ideas, there was no need to negotiate with the credit appraisers. The appropriate person was the credit manager, who on the other hand was not directly concerned with issues regarding credit appraisals. But I had to proof my case to him and negotiate a deal because when I contacted the junior officers, they asserted their principles of collateral as well as offering credit to continuing businesses. With such principles, I could not excel in business. I consideredI considered myself successful even before I engaged in the negotiation process since I had the conviction that my idea was prudent and that anyone else who would give it a critical thought would find it an inventive decision. I remembered what a teacher who was my mentor once commented that I was a critical thinker. I had developed a close relationship with him because of the way I approached issues with sophistication. These memories gave me confidence and motivation to go ahead with my aspiration. On the other hand, I had witnessed start up businesses becoming successful, especially the ones that dealt with the same field as my intended undertaking. This meant that the business could attain sustainable profitability while on the other hand continuing to repay the equipments acquired on credit. I intended to show the senior credit officer my business plan and explain my vision to him so that he too could visualize my idea. I always though of how I would be happy after accomplishing my mission. However, I knew that there were drawbacks that could become a hindrance to my efforts of acquiring the loan. In the first place, I had no track record of previous loans that I had successfully repaid. This lowered my chances of proofing my credibility. Nevertheless, my age was an indicator of insufficient experience in handling large sums of money or managing a business on my own. I remembered how one of my friends took over the management of his father's business after he was taken ill, which led to its collapse. The business had been established through a loan for the purchase of equipment. To make the matter worse, the head of the credit appraisal team in UK Leasline worked in the company that issued the loan as a credit appraiser at the time. Only three years had passed from the time the business collapsed, which led to the demotion and eventual termination of all the credit appraisers that were involved in the appraisal of my friend's father to qualify for a loan. The dilemma in this situation was the fact that the head of the team who was to appraise my

Definition Of Parental Involvement

Definition Of Parental Involvement 2.0 Introduction Research is made in order to inform people with new knowledge or discovery. Jancowicz (2000:159) knowledge does not exist in a vacuum and you work only has value in relation to other peoples work. Thus for a research to be credible, it should be supported by other works that have spoken about the same topic; therein the importance of the literature review which Hart (1998) defines as: The selection of available documents (both published and unpublished) on the topic, which contain information, ideas, data and evidence written from a particular standpoint to fulfill certain aims or express certain views on the nature of the topic and how it is to be investigated, and the effective evaluation of these documents in relation to the research being proposed. The ability to carry out a literature review is an important skill for any researcher. It will provide the latter with a context in which to place the research with respect to what has already been researched about the topic whereby the researcher will get an up to date account and discussion of the research findings about the particular topic. 2.1 Parental Involvement 2.1.1 Definition of Parental Involvement Parental involvement is believed to be an important strategy in the advancement of the quality of education. Parental involvement as such may be defined in different ways. According to Althoff (2010) parental involvement refers to the amount of participation a parent has when it comes to schooling and her childs life. (Abdullah, Seedee, Alzaidiyeen, Al-Shabatat, Alzeydeen, Al-Awabdeh, 2011) define parental involvement as the activities occurring between a parent and a child or between a parent and teachers at school that may contribute to the childs educational outcomes and development. NCLB (2001) described parental involvement as regular participation of parents, a two-way process, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities including: Assisting their childs learning; (b) Being actively involved in their childs education at school; (c) Serving as full partners in their childs education and being included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child; and (d) The carrying out of other activities such as those described in section 1118 of the ESEA Section 9101(32). Liontos (1992) mentions recent beliefs about parents and families that schools should consider when involving themselves in the education to their children: 1) All families have strengths, 2) parents can learn new techniques, 3) parents have important perspectives about their children, 4) most parents really care about their children, 5) cultural differences are both valid and valuable, and 6) many family forms exist and are legitimate (pp. 30-31). 2.1.2 Family Involvement Regardless of how they are able to demonstrate their investment, the notion that families play a very important role in creating a school that provides a nurturing and safe environment for their children is becoming widely accepted (Epstein et al., 1997). Families provide the social, cultural, and emotional supports that youth need to function well in school. Schools provide opportunities for childrens positive interactions with significant adults and other adolescents to enhance their home experiences and to support their continued development and related learning (Comer Haynes, 1991). According to Davies (1991) parental involvement shifts from parent focus to family focus, family to community agencies, school to home/neighborhood setting, eager parents to hard-to reach families, teachers/administrators agendas to family priorities, and deficit view of urban families to emphasis on inherent strengths of families. He further explains that even though non-traditional families are much more common nowadays than they were in the 1950s, alternative family structures are effective and should be recognised by the school. The paradigm Changing Definitions of Parental involvement according to Davies(1991) is as follows: from Parent Focus to Family Focus; from school to home or neighbourhood setting; from eager parents to hard to reach families; from teacher/administrator agenda to family priorities; from deficit view of urban families to emphasis on inherent strengths of families. Davies (1991) mentioned that non-traditional family units are getting more common, but the alternative family structures are effective and should be recognised as they do impact in the education and performance of students. 2.1.3 Types of parental involvement Fan and Chen (2001) in their meta-analysis found that researchers commonly conceptualised parental involvement as having multiple dimensions. Research conducted over a number of years have proved that there are numerous types of parenting practices associated with positive school-related academic and social competencies. These are: (a) parental participation in school-related activities, for instance monitoring homework and attending parent-teacher association meetings (Desimone, 1999; Keith et al., 1993; Steinberg, Lamborn, Dornbusch Darling, 1992); (b) parental encouragement of positive school behaviors (Atkinson Forehand, 1979; Barth, 1979; Kelley, 1952; Schumaker, Hovell, Sherman, 1977; Seginer, 1983); and (c) parental expectations for achievement and attainment (Ainley, Foreman, Sheret,1991; Fan Chen, 2001; Scott-Jones, 1995; Seginer). Similarly, Epstein (2001) has distinguished six types of parental involvement namely: parenting; communication; volunteering; home tutoring; involvement in decision-making; and, collaboration with the community. Epsteins model presents family, school and community as overlapping spheres of influence, the congruence of which is of considerable importance for the optimal development of children. 2.2 The effect of parental involvement on childrens achievements It is generally believed that the parents do play an important role in the education of their children and there is now an extensive research literature indicating that parental involvement is advantageous for children of all ages (Cox 2005; Desforges and Abouchaar 2003; Eccles and Harold 1993; Epstein 2001). Research has shown that one of the most promising ways to increase students achievement is to involve their families (Chavkin, 1993; Henderson Berla, 1994). Herbert Walberg (1984) found that family participation in education was twice as predictive of academic learning as family socioeconomic status. Establishing partnerships with families has many benefits for schools and families, but Epstein says, the main reason to create such partnerships is to help all youngsters succeed in school and in later life (1995, p. 701). When parents participate in their childrens schooling, students may experience more academic and social success. Epstein (2001) suggests that parents who are informed and involved in their childrens school can positively impact their childs attitude and performance. Drawing a causal link between parental involvement and student achievement is challenging; much of the research on parent involvement and student performance is therefore correlational (Scott Stein Thorkildsen, 1999). Although the impact of parental involvement is dependent on a number of contextual variables, there are many advantages attributed to parental involvement. Involvement at home, especially parents discussing school activities and helping children plan their programs, has the strongest impact on academic achievement (Sui-Chu Willms, 1996; VanVoorhis, 2003). Researchers have also found that parent-child discussion about school helps improve academic achievement and reduce problematic behavior (Epstein Sheldon, 2002; McNeal, 1999; Sheldon Epstein, 2005). McLaughlin and Shields (1986), for example, reported that parents can contribute to improved student achievement through their involvement in (a) the selection of appropriate reading materials, (b) targeting educational services, and (c) the use of particular pedagogical strategies. Clark (1983) found a correlation between achievement in reading and mathematics and the number of books at home. Parent involvement is absolutely essential to student achievement in school and in life say (Campbell Glasgow, 2010). The overwhelming studies and research indicate that there are indeed positive academic outcomes stemming from parental involvement with benefits beginning in the early childhood throughout adolescence and beyond (Henderson Mapp, 2002; Patrikakou, Weisberg, Redding, Walberg, 2005). Buchmann and Dalton (2002) suggest a possible linkage between differences in institutional contexts of educational system and variation in the effect of parental involvement on childrens educational outcomes while examining variation across 12 countries in the effect of mothers and peers attitudes toward academic performance on educational aspiration among middle-school (lower secondary school) students. The comparisons across 12 countries indicate significant variation in the influence of parental attitude on childrens educational aspiration across countries with different structural features of educational system. 2.3 Factors affecting Students Academic Achievements The students performance or academic achievement plays an important role in producing the good quality school leavers who will become good manpower for any country. There are actually numerous factors that affect the performance and achievement of students. Parents influence their childrens academic achievement (Spera, 2005). High family socioeconomic status, positive parenting practices, positive aspects of parents personality, and high marital quality are associated with school success (Harold, Aitken, Shelton, 2007; Heaven Newbury, 2004; Robertson Reynolds, 2010). Children whose parents who actively promote learning in the home more positively engage in relationships outside the home and in learning (Marchant, Paulson, Rothlisberg, 2001), perhaps because these parents help children approach learning environments more positively. The premise that home environment risks, such as negative parenting (Clark, Dogan, Akbar, 2003), a chaotic household (Brown Low, 2008), parents low educational attainment or income level (Davis-Kean, 2005), and single-parent family structure (Zill, 1996), are correlates of poor academic functioning is also well supported. According to a report on Monitoring Learning Achievement (1999) the Determinants of childs performance were identified to be as follows: Socio-economic status of the childs family had a very strong impact on achievement at school. (b) Parental education level and parents opinion about education were decisive factors affecting performance of the children at school. (c) The child who had access to learning through technology and through materials at home was more likely to do better at school. (d) Pupils who had a positive attitude to school and teachers as well as those who used English to communicate performed better on the tests. (e) Children who had more experienced teachers at school and who were more frequently assessed became better learners. 2.3.1 Student Demographics and Students Achievement Students from ethnic minority backgrounds and low income families are more at risk for poor school outcomes and are becoming an increasing share of the student population. Many studies have linked the educational disadvantage of minority students to a combination of out-of-school factors, many of which center on family characteristics, such as poverty and parents education. Linn (2005) says that prior achievement or other relevant characteristics of the student body may help to explain current levels of achievement while (Carlson, 2002; Ponisciak Bryk, 2005) point out that when large scale assessments are used as the sole measure of accountability, the characteristics of the schools clientele are confounded with change that is directly attributable to the effectiveness of the school producing biased estimates of school effects. Children coming from middle-class family may have a head start given their higher social position and income may lead to better quality housing, more availability of books and study facilities at home such as their own room, internet access facility as well as the ability to afford private tuition. According to the University of Mauritius study on private tuition (1989), children from better off families take more tuition than students from poor families and they tend to perform better. A better measure of a schools effect on student achievement should account for the nature of students in the schools as well as the characteristics of the schools themselves. For example the correlation according to Sirin (2005) between socio-economic status and achievement tends to be approximately 0.30 at the student level. When aggregated to the school level, the correlation between socio-economic and academic achievement is approximately 0.60 (Sirin, 2005), though that correlation has been estimated to be even higher (0.73) in an earlier meta-analysis (White, 1982). 2.3.2 School Leadership and Students Achievement Studies have revealed that strong leaders are critical to successful learning environments (Briggs Wohlstetter, 2003; Hallinger, Bickman, Davis, 1996; Haycock, Jerald, Huang, 2001; Jesse, Davis, Pokorny, 2004; McGee, 2004; Muijs, Harris, Chapman, Stoll, Russ, 2004; Murphy, 2004; Scribner Scribner, 2001; Snipes, 2004; Yau, 2002). There are different characteristics of strong leaders that have been mentioned in the literature: Leaders have a clear vision for their schools that is continuously communicated to school staff and parents (Cole-Henderson, 2000; EdSource, 2006; Jesse et al., 2004); they have high expectations for all students (Cole-Henderson, 2000; EdSource, 2006; McGee, 2004; Scribner et al., 2001); and they are able to translate their vision and expectations into concrete goals for teachers by aligning curriculum with state standards and standardized tests (EdSource, 2006; Education Trust, 2003). 2.3.3 School Systems and Students Achievement In many countries, including Mauritius to some extent, school systems are tracked where students are assigned to different school types based on their prior performance. These tracks range from purely academic tracks to vocational tracks and prepare students for different educational and labor market destinations (Marks, Cresswell, Ainley, 2006; Reyes, 2010). In general most secondary school systems maintain a distinction between academic and vocational education. The specifics may be different from place to place, but in most countries academic education prepares students for college or for a university whereas vocational education prepares them for immediate entry into the labor market (Shavit, Blossfeld 1993). Schools may be involved in the socio-economic inequalities in education in a number of ways. Wealthy families can afford a superior education for their children by sending them to fee-paying private schools. In countries with tracked school systems, the allocation of stude nts to the more academic school tracks may be biased towards students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. 2.3.5 Parental Involvement and Students Achievement Studies on the influence of parenting on school outcomes have mainly focused on specific parental practices such as involvement in their childs education, mostly in relation to academic achievement and rarely in relation to school dropout (McNeal, 1999; Rumherger, 1995). Studies conducted among specific grades and subject areas support the contention that parental involvement can influence students academic achievement regardless of the students age or subject. For example, Stegelin (2003), Wirtz Schumacher (2003), and Hertz-Lazarowitz Horovitz (2002) focused on early childhood education and literacy, noting a link between families who engage in literacy activities at home and their childrens success with reading and writing. Henderson and Berla (1994) say that the most accurate predictor of a students achievement in school is not income or social status but the extent to which that students family is able to create a home environment that encourages learning; express high but not unrealistic expectations for their childrens achievement and future careers and become involved in their childrens education at school and in the community. There exists an extensive research literature indicating that Parental Involvement is advantageous for children. This includes home-based Parental involvement such as listening to children read and supervision of homework as well as school-based Parental Involvement such as attending parent education workshops and parent-teacher meetings. The effectiveness of both home-based and school-based Parental Involvement in facilitating academic achievement has been reported by several reviews and meta-analyses of the literature (Fan and Chen 2001; Henderson and Mapp 2002; Jeynes 2005, 2007; Pomerantz, Moorman, and Litwack 2007). Mariaye (2008) has found that higher levels of education of parents are often related to better provision of financial resources, thus leading to achievement of children. 2.4 Barriers to parental involvement Though there is much importance attached to parental involvement it is still being ignored in many schools. Lazar and Slostad (1999) believe that parents are willing to get involved in the education of their children, but the negative perceptions of parents persist because teacher education programs do not educate teachers to work with parents. Foster and Loven (1992) also shared that the major explanation for this, according to researchers, is the fact that very little attention is given to preparing teachers to work with parents and other adults (Lazar, 1999, p. 207). According to Lazar and Slostad, (1999) the way parents viewed their roles was shaped by the circumstances and norms of particular cultures and their beliefs about their own effectiveness as teachers or tutors. Epstein (1991) found out that teachers had doubts whether they could motivate parents to become more involved even though they thought that parental involvement would improve students achievement. Teachers lack the attitudes, knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to collaborate with families leading to a weak school-family partnership (De Acosta, 1996; Epstein Dauber, 1991; Foster Loven, 1992; Greenwood Hickman, 1991; Midkiff Lawler-Prince, 1992; Williams,1992). Major barriers to parental involvement in schools include the school environment, school culture, time constraint, changing demographics and employment patterns, and the lack of teacher preparation in involving parents in their childrens schooling (New Skills for Schools, 1997; National PTA, 1997). 2.5 Overcoming barriers to parental involvement Strategies for overcoming barriers to parental involvement in schools include overcoming time and resource constraints, providing information and training to parents and school staff, restructuring schools to support family involvement, bridging school-family differences, getting external supports for partnerships, meeting families basic needs, providing flexible times and places for parental involvement, and helping staff communication with parents (The U.S. Department of Education, 2004; Family Involvement in Childrens Education October 1997). The various barriers to Parental involvement can be categorised by adapting Epsteins (2001) framework of overlapping spheres of influence focused on the three areas of family, school and community. 2.5.1 Parents beliefs about Parental Involvement Parents beliefs about various issues can act as barriers to effective parental involvement. Firstly, the way that parents view their role in the education of their children is crucial. Parents who believe that their role is only to get children to school, which then takes over responsibility for their education, will not be willing to be actively involved in either school-based or home-based parental involvement. Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (1997) reported that this attitude is more prevalent in some communities and national cultures than others, but that there is considerable variation within these. For example, Clark (1983), in his research on high achieving students from low-income black families, found that what distinguished the parents of these students from others at the school was that they believed that they should be involved in their childrens education, by both supporting their learning at home and interacting constructively with schools. Clark found that parents of high a chieving students had a greater belief than the other parents that they could effectively help their children to do better at school. 2.5.2 Parents perceptions of invitations for involvement One other potential barrier to parental involvement is parents perceptions of the level of explicit and implicit invitations for involvement. According to Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (1997) when parents think that Parental Involvement is not valued by teachers or schools they are less likely to get involved. Thus, parents perceptions of invitations from schools are considered crucial in developing effective parental involvement. Epstein (2001) has found that parents are most effectively involved when teachers actively encourage them to get involved. Eccles and Harold (1993) believe that teachers with positive, facilitating attitudes toward involving parents encourage more parents to become involved and increase the effectiveness of parental involvement. When parents perceive that teachers are not open to involve them, there tends to be a major barrier to parental involvement. Similarly, when schools are welcoming to parents and make it clear that they value parental involvement, the s chools develop more effective parental involvement than schools that do not appear inviting to parents. Secondary schools are often seen by parents as large bureaucratic organisations which are not welcoming to parents, which is considered to be one of the reasons why there is a tendency for higher levels of parental involvement in primary than secondary schools (Eccles and Harold 1993). 2.5.3 Parents Level of Education Parents level of education will influence their views on whether they have sufficient skills and knowledge to engage in different aspects of parental involvement (Green et al. 2007). For example, parents who have not completed secondary school themselves may be diffident about helping their children with homework once the latter get to secondary school. Also, parents who do not have a university degree may feel in some ways inferior to teachers who they know are better qualified than them and therefore be reluctant to work closely with the teachers. In general, children of parents with higher levels of education perform better, on average, on assessments of student achievement. 2.5.4 Parent current life status Family circumstances can be major barriers to parental involvement. For example, single parents and those with young families or large families may find it difficult to get involved in education of their children because of their responsibilities. Parents work situations can also be a factor. When parents are unemployed money could be an issue as they may not be able to afford a car or to pay babysitters in order to get to school meetings. For parents with jobs, whether both parents work and the kind of jobs they have may be issues. When both parents work they will have less time to devote for both home-based and school-based parental involvement. Similarly while some jobs allow little flexibility for taking time off for school-based parental involvement, other jobs may leave parents too tired at the end of the day to help children with homework (Catsambis 2001; Green et al. 2007). 2.5.5 Class, ethnicity and gender There exist also barriers regarding to class, ethnicity and gender of parents that account for the difference between rhetoric and reality in parental involvement. Reay (1998) suggests that it is those parents who possess cultural capital which matches that generally valued by schools. In contrast, working-class parents, although they possess their own undervalued cultural capital, are aware of the difference between the cultural capital they possess and that of teachers. Reay (1998) concludes that, for working-class families, home-school relationships are about separateness, whereas for middle-class families they are about interconnectedness, and this difference shapes their respective attitudes towards parental involvement. The barriers related to ethnicity and culture also play an important role. According to a report by Koki and Lee (1998) some of the issues involved in parental involvement for parents in New Zealand who have come from the Pacific Islands. They make the point that it is impossible to understand these issues outside of the context of the history of Pacific education and cultural tradition, but the reality is that parental involvement programmes typically pay scant regard to these issues. 2.5.6 Learning difficulties and disabilities The performance of at school can be both a barrier or facilitating factor for parental involvement. According to Eccles and Harold (1993) when children are struggling with their school work, due to learning difficulties or disabilities, then parents are generally more inclined to be active in parental involvement activities. Many authorities on special needs education consider that involving parents is an essential aspect of effective education for children with disabilities or learning difficulties (Hornby 1995; Seligman 2000). The involvement of parents is required for the process of implementing individual education programmes and this facilitates parental involvement for many parents whose children have learning difficulties or disabilities. But this is not always the case as there are many possible areas for disagreement between schools and parents of children with learning difficulties or disabilities, which can then act as barriers to effective parental involvement. For instan ce, when parents consider that their children can achieve more academically or when teachers want more support from parents in backing up at home what children are working on at school (Seligman 2000). 2.6 Strategies to involve parents To achieve more parental involvement, the school or teachers can help to adjust to parents work schedules, interests, and special abilities to involve them in their childs education 2.6.1 Parenting Parents can be involved in their childs schooling in many ways. One way teachers can get these parents involved is by providing them information about parenting practices. Parents with children with behavior problems are interested in learning about specialised reinforcement and discipline techniques that can be applied in their home. Research has shown that students who are disruptive in schools are also disruptive at home (Walker et al., 1995). Teachers can be useful by providing suggestions on how to teach specific skills at home. Parents who learn new parenting skills and teach their child at home are making positive contributions to their childs education. 2.6.2 Communication Encouraging parents to communicate with the school about important information about their child is another way parents can be involved. Darch, Craig, Miao, Yu, Shippen, and Peggy(2004) recommend that teachers ask parents to discuss their childs behaviour at home, his or her attitudes about school and learning, and whether there are home problems impacting the childs behavior at school. It is helpful if teachers ask parents about their expectations about their childs performance. 2.6.3 Volunteering Darch et al.,(2004) also suggest that one role that some parents can play is to provide instructional or management support in the classroom. For example, parents can be tutors for their own child or other students in the classroom. Also, parents can serve by grading papers, participating in field trips, and reading to groups of students. The advantages of including parents in these activities are many. Parents visibility in the classroom can be helpful in managing children. Also, if parents can provide instructional support, the improved learning performances of students will have a positive impact on their classroom behavior. 2.6.4 Instruction According to Darch et al, (2004) parents can also be involved in their childs school program by providing instructional and management support in their homes. Teachers may ask parents to allocate time for their childs homework, provide instructional support for academic assignments, and carry out home-based reinforcement programs. For parents to effectively take this role, they must be willing to participate and must have skills to implement home-based programs. However, as Hoover-Demsey and Sandler (1997) point out, many parents do not see the importance of taking an active role in their childs education. Thus, teachers must provide parents with clear guidelines on how they can be helpful at home and, if necessary, information on how to implement instructional and management strategies at home. An advantage of these activities is that the child is provided extra instruction at home that leads to more successful learning and motivation in the classroom. 2.6.5 School-Wide Involvement Teachers can suggest to parents that they be involved in school-wide activities. (Darch et al., 2004). The goal is to link parents to activities beyond their childs classroom: parents can be involved in PTA meetings, school-wide parent advisory councils, volunteer to work in the school office, and participate on a school-wide discipline committee. The advantages of linking parents into school wide activities are obvious. The presence of parents throughout the school is related to higher levels of student achievement and decreases school-wide disruptive behaviors. Parents involved with school-wide activities become more supportive of teachers and school policy. 2.7 How do schools involve parents? According to Hanke (2006) lack of parental involvement is due to lack of helpful information to parents. Emails, phone, letters, newsletters and personal contacts can be made by schools to reach out to parents. If schools communicate with parents regularly and consistently using the various means, the gap between school and parental involvement will be reduced. Based on the recent report on the Commonwealth conference on education (2012) the technology is available for ICT to be the foundation for change in education provisioning: from the classroom to the ministerial committee room; from the way teachers relate to their students, to the increasing of parental involvement in schools. Students expectations and achievement will increase if involvement are identified by Epstein and associate (1997): parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with the community. Reenay and Vivian (2007) have explained that even though the invention of new technologies has made it easier for schools to reach out to parents (through emails, cell phones and internet websites), the use of traditional methods in communication has been found to be an effective way for schools to communicate with parents, but this has been limited in use b

warriors dont cry :: essays research papers

The Romanian Immigrants The American society constantly experiences changes due mainly to the shifting of cultural influences. The multicultural America persists throughout the history because of immigrants from all parts of the world. These immigrants create a fascinating but diverse society with different customs and cultures. The Rumanian immigrants represent a unique and important role to the culture and society of the United States. Most importantly the Romanian immigrants in one way or the other affect America from a social, economic, political, religious, or cultural aspect. The Romanian immigrants have their presence in America for almost two hundred and fifty years. The first Romanian, called Samuel Damian arrived in the 18th century and was a priest from Transylvania. There are three groups of people that came to America after World War Two. The first group, (the forty-eighters) represented the victims of the war and they arrived from the refugee camps in Europe in the 1940s and 1950s. The second group, called â€Å"the newly arrived† escaped from communist Romania. The third group called the â€Å"post-communist† was better educated people that looked for prosperity. The â€Å"post-communist† group often spoke Romanian and French. After 1989 a great number of Romanians spoke some English as well. Bordea 2 The majority of immigrants came from Transylvania, Banat, and Bucovina, territories under Austro-Hungarian rule. Political, ethnic and religious persecution, combined with horrible social and economic conditions, forced Romanians to leave their homes. They all had one goal in their search of opportunities in America, and that was freedom. The Romanians were unskilled laborers who left because of economic depression. Their intention was to come to America, gain money, and then go back home and buy land. Most Romanians worked in the iron and steel industry. Also, there were some in the coal mining, automobile manufacturing, and in the meat packing industries. It was extremely hard for many to learn these new tasks since they were mostly peasants. Their jobs took them to New York, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. The Romanian immigrants encountered may difficulties in their journey to United Stated. According to the personal account of Emanuel Covaci, a Romanian immigrant in 1984, â€Å"almost sixty five percent of Romanian Immigrants were illegal.† Their journey was extremely hard since they had to swim the Danube River and not get caught. Nevertheless, many were killed or turned back to a communist, poor country. The legal immigrants stayed for weeks in immigrant camps in Austria and Yugoslavia were they were cleaned.

My Life Essay

Everyone seems to ask themselves what do they really want from their life? What are we all really striving for? While people should ask themselves what can they do to help others? When a person helps other they meet their physical and emotion need. Helping others also brings compassion and compassion equals a better society. From a person coming from a rich family they have more opportunities open to them to achieve what they want. While a person from a poor family doesn’t have the â€Å"easy life† compared to the person from the rich family. A person coming from a poor family has to go through more obstacles, and struggles to achieve what they want. When you actually make that goal it feels you up with joy. My father works two jobs and is still struggling to pay the bills. One of my goals is to have a stable career so that neither my mother and father have to worry about paying the bills on time. I would like to be a major league baseball player or a successful entrepreneur in the music business. At the beginning of each goal you will always set unrealistic standards that you slowly but surely can adjust to become realistic. For now, my first major goal in high school is to recive a 3. 5 or higher. With that, good grades are necessary and I would, or rather, I will maintain As, and Bs in all of my classes. I believe with god grades I can accomplish much mre in life and have more opportunities. Followed up by that I would like to of course, graduate high school and set myself ready for whatever comes next in my life. And this would be entering a university of my choice such as Florida state university. I would like to be able to graduate high school with good grades and a high GPA to give me the opportunity to choose what university I would like to attend instead of having to settle for less. With major goals there also comes minor goals. My first minor goal is to be a good student. I would like to actually get along with my teachers and be able to comfortably communicate with them. With respect like if they were any other person. Throughout my years in school I’ve learned that teachers are not only there to teach but their here to help and id very much like to have the opportunity to be helped by people who care and who can help me stay on the right track. My goals are set and I plan on achieve them no matter what because I never give up on a plan that I set myself up and that I know that I will do well in. I Study whenever I get the chance to achieve my goal for a Gpa of 3. 5.  I also train everyday whether I’m at practice or not so I can have an advantage over the other players because I work harder and have more dedication to the sport that I love to play. I’ve dedicated my heart into baseball because I’ve been playing it since I was in elementary school I was raised to never give up on your goal and to fulfill it to the very end. I feel that I am the perfect man for the job and I would be very grateful if you gave me the opportunity to have this job. I am a hard worker I will stay on top of my work and do everything on time and will never slack off.